Hilary Duff Refuses To Let Paparazzi Affect The Way She Feels About Her Body

"My body is healthy and gets me where I need to go."

Hilary Duff is proud of her body and isn't ashamed of its so-called "flaws." Recently, she took to Instagram to share a photo of herself in a bathing suit and captioned it with a statement shutting down body-shamers. She hopes to inspire others to feel confident in their own skin, too.

"I am posting this on behalf of young girls, women, and mothers of all ages," she wrote. "I'm enjoying a vacation with my son after a long season of shooting and being away from him for weeks at a time over those months. Since websites and magazines love to share 'celeb flaws' - well I have them!"

The photo she shared in the Instagram post was taken by paparazzi and shows Duff with her son, Luca, at the beach in Hawaii. Duff is wearing a one-piece bathing suit and sunhat.

"My body has given me the greatest gift of my life: Luca, 5 years ago," she continued. "I'm turning 30 in September and my body is healthy and gets me where I need to go. Ladies, let's be proud of what we've got and stop wasting precious time in the day wishing we were different, better, and unflawed."

She goes on to call out all those who share photos of celebrities, like this one, to point out the parts of their bodies that are "flawed." Paparazzi already make celebrities' lives more difficult by invading their privacy and preventing them from fully enjoying whatever they're up to. But she isn't letting them control her narrative — especially when it comes to her body. Instead, she uses social media to tell her fans that she finds her body beautiful, exactly the way it is.

So, for all the photographers and media outlets snapping photos of celebrities to make negative comments, Duff has this to say: "You guys (you know who you are!) already know how to ruin a good time, and now you are body shamers as well. #kissmyass."

Duff has opened up about her body confidence issues in the past. Back in 2015, she revealed that while she loves her healthy body now, she fell victim to the pressure to be thin when she was younger. "That was not a healthy place for me," she told People at the time. "I was so unhappy. I remember my hands cramping because I wasn't getting enough nutrients."

She's since stopped worrying about being ultra thin, and instead focuses on having a healthy, strong body. Back in February, she posted a photo of herself showing off her legs on Instagram and shared how she's learned to be proud of them.

"I didn't always love my legs, but as I've grown, I've learned to love and celebrate myself, just as I am," she wrote. "I began to realize that my legs are STRONG and they carry me every. single.day. Our bodies are amazing and something to be grateful for. I'm ME and that's really enough!"

Hopefully, Duff's words can help to inspire others to feel more positively about their bodies — and all the amazing things they can do — too.